The look on Derrick Nix's face probably said as much about Michigan State's weekend at the Palace as anything.

It was roughly the same look he had in pregame introductions before wins over Valparaiso and Memphis, after many of the 15 baskets he scored in a 36-point weekend, and while snapping a towel at teammate Keith Appling during a much-discussed huddle flare-up.

It was the look of someone who had just had his lunch stolen and was angry enough about it to retaliate. And Nix, alone at the front of a line of Spartans, was flashing it at the Memphis Tigers as they walked past the MSU locker room and onto the floor for pregame warm-ups Saturday.

That moment illustrated the swagger and determination to lead that MSU's lone senior brought to the Palace. His play in the next couple of hours against much bigger and stronger combatants than Valpo showed proof that the confidence in his own game is as high as it has ever been.

And the fact that Nix was joined in playing well by several teammates -- a maddeningly infrequent occurrence for this MSU team -- in two wins by a combined 31 points suggested the Spartans could have another two-win weekend. Maybe even another after that.

That's on one condition, and it's a big one. The Spartans probably aren't going to get out of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with two wins unless they stop with a maddeningly frequent occurrence: unforced turnovers.

"We're playing harder," coach Tom Izzo said after reaching the 11th Sweet 16 in his 16th straight NCAA tourney. "Now we've got to take one more step -- play harder, tougher and smarter."

Emphasis on the "smarter." The Spartans committed 35 turnovers in two games and their opponents had 19 steals, which means a lot of those turnovers had nothing to do with the opponent.

It's true that both games ended up laughers and some of the mistakes came after they were decided, though just two of 17 turnovers against Valpo came with the bench emptied.

It was easy to chuckle at some of the miscues after the 70-48 thumping of Memphis. For example, Adreian Payne's full-court heave for Nix, a pass Appling would have had a hard time gathering in a full sprint.

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"If anybody (thinks) that the Adreian Payne-to-Derrick Nix fast break is in my play book, then you're on dial a clue," Izzo joked, then said in all seriousness: "Those things have got to go, you know?"

They do. But he'll gladly take most of what he got from his team to Indianapolis, as long as that includes an Appling with a relatively pain-free left knee and right shoulder.

The Spartans had some "Bad Boys" in them at the Palace, with Nix (Rick Mahorn?) and Payne (John Salley?) scoring, rebounding and snarling. Branden Dawson played the Dennis Rodman role, content to impact a game without scoring.

Appling ran the team well, and Gary Harris had 33 points and six three-pointers to help earn a trip near his hometown of Fishers, Ind. Freshman Denzel Valentine stepped up big Saturday with Harris in foul trouble and Appling hurt, showing no fear and the all-around game (nine points, six rebounds, six assists) of a future leader.

"That's what big-time players do. They don't freeze up, they make plays," Valentine said. "That's what I want to be, so why freeze up or play bad? I just wanted to stay calm and play controlled, and I feel like I did."

The Spartans played some of their best defense of the season -- Valpo and Memphis combined to shoot 32.2% -- and rebounded like vintage Izzo rebounding teams. MSU grabbed 14 of its 26 missed shots and had a 49-29 boards edge on the big, strong Tigers.

Also, MSU players apparently spoke with one another more often, thanks in part to Izzo asking that they ditch their phones for team activities. He loved the results, even when those words were cross. Perhaps, especially when they were cross.

"This has been the greatest weekend we've had of the year, because I (banned) those phones a little bit and I listen to guys talk like magpies on the bus," Izzo said after the Memphis win. "I listen to them in the film sessions. I told them today I'm really proud of them. I really enjoyed it, and it was fun.

"So it culminated tonight by -- we did a lot of good things, but, you know, we made some mistakes. That's kind of who we are."

Contact Joe Rexrode: 313-222-2625 or jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.